Improvement in horse hay-rakes



' f w. M'. SAUNDERS.

Horse Hay-Rake.

No.207,986.' Pat ented'Sept.10.187 8.-

A w .1 .mm a m W N-PETERS. FHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTUN, D C.

- the head for holding the teeth in place.

U NITED STATESPATENT' OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. SAUNDERS, OF ALFRED CENTRE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,986, dated September 10, 1878 application filed March 19, 1877.

..T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SAUNDERS, of Alfred Centre, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse Hay- Itakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specie fication.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a self-dumping hay-rake, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in whichtached to the rake-head by grooving the back corner of the head at a a for each tooth, and then fastening strips 11 b on the under side (pf 11 the back side of the head are fastened guides G G, in the form of an inverted T, with central slots for the passage of the teeth I), each tooth being guided separately and movable independent of the others.

On the inner end of the hub of each wheel B is a series of projecting lugs, e 6, arranged in a circle concentric with the wheel; and these lugs are surrounded by a rim or flange, d,

which protects the same against the hay that would otherwise wind upon them and clog.

h h represent two rods arranged along the upper front corner of the rake-head, to be moved outward for engaging with the lugs e on the driving-wheels and dump the rake. The outer end of each rod h is held in a stationary guide, f, while the inner end passes through two cars, it, projecting from the under side of a bar, 70, placed in a box or frame, H, secured on top of the rake-head.

The inner ends of the two bars 10 k are, by means of two pivoted arms, I I, connected with a slide, J arranged at right angles-with the rake-head, as shown. The inner ends of the two bars 70 k are connected together by a spiral spring, m, which draws the rods h h inward, and around each rod h, between the ears i i, is a spiral spring, a, arranged to hold the rod in certain position.

By moving the slide J forward the togglearms I I are straightened, forcing the bars k and rods h outward until the outer ends of said rods are caught by the lugs e on the wheels B, and thus lock the rake-head to the wheels, so that as the rake advances the rake will be dumped by the head turning on its hinges. When the rake-head has turned sufficiently forward, the front end of the slide J strikes a stop, 19, on the bar Oflwhieh forces the slide backward, breaking. or releasing the lock of the toggle-arms, so that the spring m will at once draw the rods h inward away from the wheels. The independent-springs n on the rods it allow of the rake turning, or, in other words, one wheel turning backward while dumping.

The slide J is, bya chain, 8, connected with a pivoted curved hand-lever, K, and the upper end of this lever, by another chain, 2?, connected with a foot-lever, L, so that the driver can work the slide either by hand or foot for automatically dumping the rake.

P 1? represent a suitable hand lever, ar ranged to dump the rake by hand when desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the rake'head A, havin g grooves a a, as described, the rake-teeth D D, strips b, and centrally-slotted T-shaped guides G, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The combination, in a horse hay-rake, of the locking-rods h h, the springs n n, for giving the same a yielding pressure outward, the bars k k, with ears z i, the connecting-spring m, the toggle-arms I 1, connecting the bars k 70 with the slide J, the levers K L, and stop 12, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. SAUNDERS.

Witnesses:

A. W. OooN, JAMES R. GRAND ALL. 

